Our August Reads (2017)

It never ceases to amaze us how many books we finish in a month. The lists we share here are merely books we’ve used in a homeschooling/parenting capacity; there are many more which we read on our own! August’s list has several finds from our local library. Everything on this month’s list was completely new to us, which is always fun.

My Side of the Mountain – Trilogy (Jean Craighead George) – This coming-of-age story about a boy and his falcon went on to win a Newbery Honor, and for the past forty years has enthralled and entertained generations of would-be Sam Gribleys. The two books that followed–On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful’s Mountain–were equally extraordinary.This was an assigned read for my son. He fought me at first, but quickly began to enjoy the story. I’m sure many of you have already read this charming story. It’s a classic for a reason.

100 Birds and How They Got Their Names (Diana Wells) – Learn the mythical stories of the gods and goddess associated with bird names. Explore the avian emblems used by our greatest writers–from Coleridge’s albatross in “The Ancient Mariner” to Poe’s raven.Part of our nature study focus for the month of August, this book took us by surprise. Where we expected to find dry facts, we discovered lovely detail and fun facts.

The Periodic Kingdom (PW Atkins) – Just how does the periodic table help us make sense of the world around us? Using vivid imagery, ingenious analogies, and liberal doses of humor P. W. Atkins answers this question. He shows us that the Periodic Kingdom is a systematic place. Detailing the geography, history and governing institutions of this imaginary landscape, he demonstrates how physical similarities can point to deeper affinities, and how the location of an element can be used to predict its properties. Here’s an opportunity to discover a rich kingdom of the imagination kingdom of which our own world is a manifestation.In my attempt to make chemistry more appealing – as exploding experiments are not as easy to come by as my children would like – we were led to this book. The author does a fine job of fully explaining the periodic table, making it a land of possibility and a joy to discover.

Bees: A Honeyed History (Piotr Socha) – How does bees communicate?… What does a beekeeper actually do? Who survived being stung by 2,443 bees? This encyclopedic book answers all those questions and many more with a light, humorous touch.Well-illustrated books are a draw for us. Even if that was the only pull, this book would be worth a second look. However, we’re blessed to announce the educational pages within are just as wonderful as the illustrations. (It should be noted the author is not writing from a young-earth perspective. Expect to see the phrase “millions of years ago” and the like. Just to you know.)

Atlas of Adventures (Rachel Williams) – Set your spirit of adventure free with this lavishly illustrated trip around the world. Whether you’re visiting the penguins of Antarctica, joining the Carnival in Brazil, or a canoe safari down the Zambezi River, this book brings together more than 100 activities and challenges to inspire armchair adventurers of any age.I think I might have developed a thing for maps. And globes. Which I suppose is technically about the same thing. Atlas books are high on my list right now and I appreciate each and every one. This one is especially charming; filled with unexpected, fun details about each region of the planet.

Atlas of Animal Adventures (Rachel Williams) – From the team behind the best-selling Atlas of Adventures. Head off on a journey of discovery, with this book that collects together nature’s most unmissable events from between the two poles, including epic migrations, extraordinary behaviours, and Herculean habits. Find hundreds of things to spot and learn new facts about every animal.Yet another spectacular atlas from Ms. Williams. I’ll be holding onto this read until the library demands it be returned. Or I’ve bought my own. Whichever comes first.

Your Turn!: Do you have a favorite focus for nature study? We’d love to hear all about it.